Simple Gyro — Restaurant in Columbus

I LOVED the Lamb Gyro! SOOOOO DELICIOUS!!! I wonder though, is the way this is made, closer to the Turkish or Lebanese Doner, or closer to the Greek Gyro? I know they're "similar" in a few ways, but the way this came reminded me a little more of the Turkish Halal Doner. I would ABSOLUTELY LOVE to have a properly authentic Turkish Doner Kebap shop here Columbus, GA or Phenix City, AL.

This Gyro shop is ABSOLUTELY AWESOME as is too, don't get me wrong. When I want a Gyro, I WANT A GYRO, and this place IS ABSOLUTELY delicious!!! 110%!!!

What I mean is I'd ALSO love to have an authentic Turkish and/or Lebanese Doner Kebap shop here, AS WELL AS, the Gyro place. Or even a place that sold BOTH, side by side. That's all I'm saying there.

Now, THE FOOD WAS EPICALLY DELICIOUS. The Lamb Gyro, absolutely TOP NOTCH.

The Lebanese style Baklava; or Baklawa as some folks are spelling it to differentiate, and I think I'll start doing to make it easier to understand; was good, but not... not good enough. It was missing something. I LOOOOVE a good gooey, thick, heavy, honey and butter soaked, spiced, cinammony GREEK Baklava. I also know that a large part of Greece and more modern Greek Culture is Christian based, and the Cuisine has grown through the centuries to reflect that culture as it is.

I also LOOOOVE Good Light, Crispy, Flaky, FLORAL Lebanese Baklawa. I know that Rose Water Simple Syrup and Orange Blossom Simple Syrup are used, in place of Honey and Butter, as Lebanon and Turkey are both primarily Muslim based cultures, and Butter and Honey used together, is a right royal pain in the keester to keep Halal, unless you use Certified Halal Pure Butter and Pure Honey; and trying to source those in AMERICA, is going to be heeeeinously expensive and hard to come by.

Thus, I understand why the ancient cultures diverged in their uses of flavorings, because ancient honey and butter would NOT be easy to make Halal, so Rose and Orange Blossom Simple Syrups would be one of the best alternatives, and they made it their own thing back then. Today, it would be easier, with technology, but probably no less expensive, relative economically.

What I'm saying is this:

Did ya'll forget the Rose or Orange Blossom Simple Syrup in this batch I had? Because I could not taste it. :-/

I know the folks that owned the place when it was the Pita [Something] branded restautant are Lebanese folks, and their cooking is DELICIOUS!!! And I think all they really did was close their 2nd store and rebrand, and change their menu a little. I hope it's the same folks. :-)

If it is, I know WHY ya'll would use not honey and butter but floral syrup, and I know WHY ya'll might tone things back for pathetically weak "American Palates"... but PLEASE don't. Keep the Floral Syrup, make it authentic, and if you are making Delicious Lebanese Cuisine, but hiding it behind a Greek label...

... don't. You're in a town next to one of THE largest Army bases in the world. We LOVE foreign food in The Military. We eat MRE's. You CANNOT offend our palates. Make it as authentic as you possibly...

I want to start by thanking the sales representative at the counter who told me he personally makes the falafel — and it shows. The falafel at Simple Euro is absolutely perfect: crispy on the outside, moist on the inside, and full of flavor. It’s easily some of the best falafel I’ve ever had. I highly recommend ordering it by itself, because the flavor really shines that way.

On the falafel gyro, the falafel gets a little lost under the heavy sauce and large pieces of onion. Not all of the onions were thick — some were perfectly sliced — but there were a few big chunks that threw off the balance. The pickles were a nice touch, and the portion of those was just right. Overall, I’d love to see them use a lighter hand with the sauce and keep the onions finely cut so the falafel can stand out, because it truly deserves the spotlight. My son ordered the chicken gyro and thought it was great, especially with the sauce. He did remove some of the onions but enjoyed it overall. Both gyros came to $21.21 (after a 5% military discount and tax), which felt a bit high considering it’s a grab-and-go style restaurant. I think $8.99 would be a fairer price point for both wraps, with the option to add a small side of fries, rice, or veggies for a couple of dollars more.

That said, I would absolutely go back just for the falafel — maybe a bag of them with dipping sauce on the side. The falafel alone is worth the visit. It’s clear that the person making them takes pride in what he does, and his kindness and enthusiasm made the experience even better.

In short: outstanding falafel, warm service, slightly high prices for the format, and a bit too much sauce on the gyro — but still a solid five stars from me for the quality and care that went...

I’m not sure who put my food together yesterday but it was horrible. I visited this restaurant because I’ve heard good things from others but maybe I’m unlucky. I had a traditional gyro which should have lettuce, onions, tomatoes and sauce. My gyro had literally 1 piece of lettuce, and a silver of tomato but no onions. The gyro was basically meat and sauce, too much sauce because there was no veggies to catch the sauce. Also, the gyro was not full so it was folded like a taco because it was so flat and unfilled. I couldn’t even finish the meal.

My husband had the meat over rice and again, no veggies, the plate wasn’t even filled to top, it was like a half portion. There was space to the bottom of the plate where perhaps some veggies should be.

They made our food as if they needed to ration out food to be careful not to run out but of course we paid full price. I won’t be visiting again. The lettuce and onions literally make a gyro taste fresh and delicious. You all need to train your staff on what a full gyro and plate look like and ensure they adhere so there can be some congruency in the food you provide to customers. I’m not happy I...